Violin Adventures Online

VIOLIN ADVENTURES ONLINE

Connect with fellow young violinists and travel the world through music in this class! Join a weekly Zoom call on Wednesdays at noon to play violin games, learn fun ways to play scales, and improve your violin skills through playing Suzuki review pieces. You’ll also receive a listening activity each week that highlights a different part of the world and will be encouraged to explore the music written about each place and the people who live there.

There will be two sections of this class: one designed for students in Suzuki Book 1, and one for students in Book 2. Choose the class where you know the majority of the pieces – for example, if you have just started Musette in Suzuki Book 2, you should join the Book 1 class. If you are in the beginning or middle of Suzuki Book 1, we will make sure to always include one of those earlier songs or provide a non-playing participation option for a song you haven’t learned yet. (Note: Adult guidance and technology support may be required for younger students)

Caitlin Renner is an avid collaborator. She has performed in many chamber ensembles of both the classical and the traditional variety, recording projects, and has previously collaborated with a fellow graduate student and dancer to create an original piece. Additionally, Ms. Renner has spent many summers being immersed in Celtic, Scandinavian, Americana, and Fusion Folk styles. She encourages her students to grow familiar with a variety of musical styles and incorporates folk pieces into her teaching repertoire.

Most of all, Ms. Renner is fascinated with teaching. Her students provide inspiration for diving further into her musical studies and learning more about transmitting technique and musicality through each lesson. She has received training in the Suzuki Method, the Mark O’Connor Method, a certification in Music Mind Games, and has attended numerous teacher workshops. In addition to her private teaching, Ms. Renner teaches music and movement classes at several area preschools.

Ms. Renner received her Masters of Music in Viola Performance, with an emphasis in violin and viola pedagogy, from the Peabody Institute in 2014. She studied under Victoria Chiang and Rebecca Henry. She also received her Bachelor of Music at the University of Maryland, College Park, where she studied with Katherine Murdock.

Claire Allen is an active performing violinist and private teacher in the Washington, D.C. area. She is a Teaching Artist at Mason Community Arts Arts Academy, where she has a private studio of students ages 4 through 18 and is the Faculty Coordinator. She teaches Violin Beginnings, a series of group classes for young children just starting to play violin, teaches supplemental Suzuki-style group classes for students already in private lessons, coordinates the chamber music program, and is a co-director of the summer Violin Bootcamp. Recent student successes include five prize winners in the Academy Music Competition, superior ratings in the Solo & Ensemble festival, and successful auditions for the American Youth Debut Orchestra and String Ensemble.

Before teaching for Mason Community Arts Academy, Ms. Allen was a teaching assistant at the Baltimore School for the Arts where she coached chamber music, directed sectionals, and assisted with the orchestras. She also taught privately in an outreach program that provided free lessons to inner-city school children, To Work In Gaining Skills (TWIGS). She has also been on faculty at the Baldwin-Wallace Conservatory Outreach Department. During her teacher training, Claire completed two levels of Suzuki teacher training at the Greater Washington Area Suzuki Institute and studied pedagogy with Rebecca Henry at the Peabody Conservatory. In summer 2013, she attended a pedagogy workshop at Indiana University directed by Mimi Zweig.

As a performer, Ms. Allen is a member of the first violin section in the McLean Orchestra. She is a founder of the Faculty String Quartet at Academy. Highlights from the 2016-2017 season include a solo recital at Holy Trinity Catholic Church, orchestral performances with the McLean Orchestra, and chamber music performances as part of Fairfax City’s Spotlight on the Arts festival.

Ms. Allen created a recital to promote the music of female composers in June 2016, in which she and her students performed with pianist David Norfrey and Cora Cooper, the editor of the Violin Music By Women Anthologies. She performed works by Rebecca Clarke, Clara Schumann, and Amanda Maier. In addition to performance, Claire co-taught a teacher training workshop on the Violin Music By Women Anthologies and awareness of gender issues in the modern violin studio. Her blogs on the subject have been featured on Violinist.com.

Ms. Allen holds a Master of Music degree from Peabody Conservatory and a Bachelor of Music degree, summa cum laude, from Baldwin-Wallace College. Her primary teachers include Rebecca Henry, Keng-Yuen Tseng, Burton Kaplan, Julian Ross, and Lisa Cridge. She performs on a modern violin made by Tetsuo Matsuda.

Be sure to check our FAQs and policies and procedures regarding registration, withdrawals, refunds, curriculum, technology and more for summer programs.

All students will receive a Welcome Letter via email at least 1 week before the program starts with all necessary details including camp schedule, supply list, web links, etc.